Overview
- The club presented Alexander Blessin as its new head coach on Wednesday, signing him through 2028 and charging him with producing immediate results after a disastrous start.
- Gladbach sit bottom of the Bundesliga with zero points and 16 goals conceded in four matches, a defensive collapse that the club says is the urgent priority for the new coach.
- Recent locker-room strains include a stoppage-time penalty dispute between Kevin Diks and Shuto Machino and public criticism from captain Tim Kleindienst, issues the club has publicly downplayed but expects Blessin to resolve.
- Blessin has made discipline, respect and rapid defensive fixes his first tasks and will use the international break to assess players and run a friendly at Sportfreunde Siegen despite many regulars being away.
- Sport director Rouven Schröder calls the hire a long-term plan, but Blessin faces narrow margins: the Rhine derby at 1. FC Köln on 11 October is his first major test and a key early measure of progress.